Beehive House

Got right into a tour. It lasted over the 30 minutes. I was interested as I am a member of the Mormon faith. I liked seeing the rooms and thought the history provided of Young and Joseph F Smith was interesting. It is small and kids probably wouldn't enjoy.

Free tour, we happened to get there just as the next tour was starting. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Some of the pieces are original to the owners and others are time appropriate pieces. I liked learning the history and seeing what life would of been like back in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s.

Oh my goodness! The quality of this tour has grown 10O0% better now that the Church history department has taken the reigns from the missionary department. I highly recommend this. You get the historical aspects of the home and of the period. Polygamy is not hidden or glossed over, but stated as a matter of fact way of life. The guides are knowledgeable and accurate and there is no missionary pressure or out of the blue testifying that can turn off non-members who are there for the history and asking members for referrals of their friends which has been a guilt-ridden staple of historical sites in the past. Such a pleasant and professional change!

Very interesting tour. Better to come prepared - read smth about Mormon history. Or visit the history museum on the other side of the Temple square.

Cool house, slightly awkward tour guide. They lay the preaching on pretty thick about their religion and what the LDS represents which I guess given their reputation as missionaries is expected. We also missed a room because another group was in there and asked if we could go back since they weren't there anymore, they were quite apprehensive and you could tell they didn't want to which was odd we had to push them a little to take us. Seemed like they were not flexible and pretty strict, but again not unexpected. The tour itself was okay, aside from the preaching they kept throwing in I would have rather just looked around. I suggest asking them about some of the more controversial subjects that Brigham Young was known for if you wanna make it more interesting.

You should probably start your tour of Temple Square here… So much history beautifully maintained and wonderful tour guides. Don’t miss this jewel at the heart of Salt Lake City.

It was a very enlightening experience. The missionaries are so knowledgeable and insightful. I recommend it to anyone visiting the area. I've been living here for months and finally walked across the street. Should have done it earlier. I had a great time and learned a lot. Their historical memorabilia is to die for. Will be back with more time and bring friends next time.

Excellent Tour. Guide was knowledgeable and engaging. The house looks amazing. The best part is that it's free! But, I would have paid for it, if required.

The Beehive House was one of the official residences of Brigham Young, the 2nd Pres. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 1854. The Beehive House gets its name from the beehive sculpture atop the house. It was under wraps there was nothing here to see except a beehive over white wrap.

It was good. The kitchen was not providing food when we visited. But they allowed us to order food/pizza delivery from other place.

Located near temple square. This place is pretty cool. Definitely worth a trip in your lifetime!

I will mostly start off with the positives, as I guess I am the only person of color leaving a review for the Beehive House on Yelp. [full disclosure I am from California and am on a weeklong visit in the state for work] Positives: it's a cool little piece of remaining history from the pioneer days. The guide was friendly, and you see enough of the house to get a gist of the of its owner Brigham Young and it's subsequent owners his children and some of the presidents of the LDS. Watch-outs: If you're looking for a comprehensive history of the house and it's owners and it's place in SLC, then maybe you're better off going to the Church Museum down the way. This house does not like you go into the Lion House, where BY kept all this other wives and children, and there are a lot of rooms closed off, and not many remaining artifacts from his day. Which isn't the House's fault, but damn. (Luckily I know a bit about Mormon history, both the LDS / FLDS prior to this visit) Red Flags: I don't want this to sound like I'm coming off as too crass and #woke, but their were some parts in the tour that do need to be more inclusive, or at least better phrased. While learning about I believe Joseph F. Smith (one of the presidents who stayed there) ... there was something the tour guide said about them visiting Hawaii because they liked the artifacts and jewelry and stuff there but the tour guide said the word "primitive" to describe why the Smiths didn't stay there. Who is it "primitive" to? That's not a great word to use at all to describe the inhabitants of Hawaii during that time or any other time. They had a whole self ruling monarchy before the US went over there and colonized. Also Polynesian folks are like one of the highest demographics for Mormonism when it comes to people of color. So it's just unnecessary so I would say take the word out and maybe focus on how the LDS church successfully set up missions in Hawaii and etc etc. Also, it's a tour about his house, so again I understand not going in-depth about all the things. But another part during the tour doesn't really explain the polygamy very well, it's described as something that was forced upon Brigham, but it wasn't necessarily because Joseph came up with this idea that in order to go to heaven one must acquire a large family so maybe that should be touched on just a little to explain to people. The tour guide also explained that Joseph and Brigham faced religion intolerance, which is partially true, they did, but they were also causing a lot of problems for the folks around them too. So don't make J & B the martyrs. Just present the facts. And the last thing is the tour guide described Brigham as kind on all accounts when he brought people over to his house to discuss things, but Brigham was the one that instituted the ban on Black people being church leaders in the LDS he and other disciples of the time were notoriously racist. So yes he was kind, but he was only kind to other members of the LDS and other white folks. So it's a little disingenuous, even the Utah natural history Museum does a better job at explaining how Native Americans were displaced when the Mormons arrived. So I'll end this with saying that, the tour is short and it's more about his house than him as a person. It's not a comprehensive tour. (Again folks looking for that go to the giant Church Museum down the way, which is pretty great! And only slightly biased. Which is again understandable.)

I think I picked the perfect time -- after a decade living in the area -- to visit the Beehive House. It just reopened with a new perspective (I recommend reading the Deseret News story from just about a month ago: https://bit.ly/2IYXTMA). A staffer actually mentioned the effect of reviews (Yelp, as well Travelocity and TripAdvisor) had ... word got to the Church of dissatisfaction in the quality of the tour, too much proselytizing (missions ran the tours), and a biased account of history ... the Church actually took this to heart and overhauled the way tours are given. I guess our work DOES have an impact! I've been working downtown for years and spent a lot of time in the bustle around City Creek and State Street, and it's amazing to be inside a place that makes you feel transported to a time more than 150 years ago. The tours are great. Mary Ellen (an actual descendant of Brigham Young) was a great guide ... power-packed full of information, but not too much to wear us down with facts. She made it interesting for non-Mormons like myself. To put it simply the meaning of Beehive House, it was built as Brigham Young's home and quickly became a hub for visiting dignitaries and other guests. After Brigham Young, Presidents Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith lived in the house. It was a residence for around a century before turning into a historic house. Great house, great history, great tour!

I went here a few years ago and The tour wasn't the best. Our tour guide, Craig, knows a lot of history about the house and Brigham Young. I learned so much!

I'm not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but was interested in visiting Beehive House for its rich history and to learn more about Brigham Young. However, what I didn't anticipate was how impressive and beautifully preserved the house itself would be. I absolutely love touring historic homes, and this one is truly memorable. Our very knowledgeable and engaging guide led us on a free 30-minute tour through the (hallelujah!) air conditioned building. I have to say that I was curious to see how and to what extent Young's practice of plural marriage would be addressed, and the answer was not at all, excluding a vague, euphemistic remark about Young's "very big family." With that said, though, I can understand why the Church would be frustrated that non-members continue to associate it with polygamy almost 130 years after the practice was discontinued. A little bit of historical whitewashing aside, if you're in Temple Square, I would certainly recommend checking out Beehive House.

Interesting historical dwelling. There is a guided tour telling about the family and their lives. Beautiful flowers around the outside.

Our tour had 20 people being led through tight, windowless, airless places. The guide did not wear a mask and told an entire family they didn't have to wear masks. It was impossible to exit the tour once it started. Elderly visitors looked uncomfortable and stayed behind the rest. The staff should enforce mask wearing, including guides. They should limit tours to 6-10 people each. These are very small interior spaces. Utah's ICs are overflowing with the unvaccinated.

According to Utah.com, "the Beehive House is the older of Brigham Young's two Salt Lake City residences. Designed by temple architect Truman Angell and built in 1854, it stands today as a museum offering tours of what life was like for the Young family back in 1855." Let us not forget that when Brigham Young lived in the Lion and Beehive Houses, he enjoyed the company of 27 wives and 56 children. So a garden would seem like a good idea--to keep all those women busy tilling the soil and planting flowers. And with that there is a beautiful Beehive Heritage Garden planted with lots of old-fashioned plants and flowers. I was so happy to see hollyhocks, which were my mother's favorite flower in the Beehive Garden. There were cornflowers and delphiniums and ranunculus. Rows and rows of snapdragons looked nice. The cottage garden was brimming with butterflies and bees the day I was there. On the east side of the House there is a partial shade garden. Since these two houses are on the standard LDS tour route of things to see (Mormon), remember to spend time admiring the gardens at the Beehive House.

I toured the house and it was an interesting place. The guide was friendly and funny. He told us that 6,000 people had visited over a 10 year period when Brigham Young lived there. He then asked if we knew why people wanted to see him. I asked if it was due to his 50+ wives (I wasn't being snarky, that's what I have read). The guide said yes! I was glad to hear the truth being told. He said that only one wife lived at the house with him though. I'm not sure what difference that makes but I felt like that was supposed to be better. I asked where the other wives lived with his 50+ children, the guide said they lived all around the city. The house is very nice so Mr. Young obviously had the best that was available, I wonder if the 54 wives did too. I enjoyed the short tour but I didn't learn much.

Nice tour of the Beehive House that is conducted by two Mormon sisters. There is no charge for the tour. They tell you about the history of the home and Brigham Young. The tour was very interesting, informative, and does not take long at all.

4 stars for historical value: interesting and informative to learn more about SLC history. 2 stars for the tour guides: much too pushy regarding their religion. We were very respectful of their beliefs during the tour, but they weren't so respectful of ours. When we say that we aren't interested in hearing more because that's not how we believe, please don't keep pushing us.

Even if you have been through the beehive house in the past, I would encourage you to go back. If you have never been, definitely go! I have been on many tours of the beehive house. This was the BEST ever. The new guides are especially knowledgeable and have more historical knowledge about the home and the history of the valley than there is time to share. Our guide, Becky, kept us laughing, entertained, and educated as we soaked in the details of this historic site. We had a blast. If I had more time I may have gone through again to ask more questions!

A nice short tour of Brigham Young's home. This tour is about 20 minutes and by 2 sisters on their missionary - just like Temple Square BUT this tour I found to be MUCH less preachy and generally more informative. The tour is free, as most LDS related things in Salt Lake, and shows you different rooms and explains "family" importance for Mormons. I much prefer this to the Temple Square tour - which I find long and way too preachy/religious. I learned that Deseret means Honeybee and lead to the beehive symbol.

I have a lot of respect for the history of this house, Temple Square, and the religion behind it all. However, the missionary guides at this beautiful home do not do it any justice. We were accompanied through the home by two sweet girls who were "stationed" in Salt Lake on their missions. While very nice, they knew very little about the history of the home or its famous occupants. Simple questions like "when was this home last used as a residence?" or "is this piece of furniture original?" were met with blank stares and unsure guesses. I did learn about the symbolism of the honeybee and how the beehive became the official state emblem of Utah, so the tour was not a total bust on educational value. This was the first "attraction" I visited on Temple Square, so I was not sure what to expect in terms of proselytizing. While the guides focus on the importance Mormon's place on family, I didn't find anything about the tour too "preachy" or uncomfortable. Overall, an interesting look back in time, but other points of interest on Temple Square might prove a better use of limited time.

Must see if you are out of town visiting and interested in SLC history. Very friendly guides and a quick tour.

I toured 30 years ago and it's just not the same anymore. I remember our elementary school class toured the Beehive house long ago as a historical landmark. Yes, that was a long time ago and I was a child, but I have distinct memories of things being interesting. Last week I went inside for a tour and was met by two homely sister missionaries (instead of a nice woman wearing a period costume). The tour was minimally informative, lacking much historical significance and abundant in the sisters telling how they felt so much love from the prophet today. It was clearly a pitch for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Not that there is anything wrong with that except that I was there to learn history of the founder of Salt Lake City, not get a church pitch). Somehow the storehouse at the back of the building was left off the tour, the most memorable part for me as a child, and there was no sampling of the horehoud candy. (What!? No candy?) There was emphasis on filling out a contact/comment card at the end of the tour as such: "We have these really great cards that are very easy to fill out", which was just plain odd. I was disappointed.

My husband and I went to Moab for a nice birthday getaway and decided to spend the day in Salt Lake City before going back to the airport. I found this historic house and was very excited to take a tour. I was very disappointed. It is nothing more than a quick 10 minute walk through the lower half of the house with two "sisters", one from Africa and one from China. They knew very little about the history of the home, and were more interested in pushing the Mormon agenda. I didn't even to get to really look at any of the rooms, and they gave me a Mormon bible at the end of the "tour". I had signed a comment card and stupidly put my home address. And a week later, two young Mormon women showed at at my front door in Moorpark, California saying they wanted to talk to me. WTF?!

The tour is very informative. I learned about the street system, why they are so large (who would of thought it isn't to accommodate Americans large cars!) The tour is about 20 mins long with ampule time to ask questions. It was interesting to learn about Brigham Young and his family. I will warn you towards the end of the tour they do sit you down offer you a lemon drop(it's from Canada) and offer you a DVD and the Book of Mormon. Over all it is an interesting tour and a chance to learn about Brigham Young and the history of the Mormon Pioneers.

A good friendly tour. We were a small group and had all the time we needed. YOU will be pushed on your lack of Mormon understanding or faith by the young sisters who are "just teaching as a part of their mission service".

I would give this a zero (0) star rating if I could. DON'T wast your time. Of this several thousand square foot house/compound we saw not more than five (5) rooms. Very little history of the house and people associated with the house was told. The whole thing was a sales pitch and not a chance to experience a historical Utah home.

Looking over other reviews, I think this experience truly comes down to who gives you the tour. We had 2 young adult "sisters" who knew their facts about the house and many of the details. It was long....one door opened to another...to another...to another... Unlike our Temple Square tour, these 'sisters' were much more forward with their beliefs and interested in pursuing dialogue about my faith. I was fine with the conversation, but others may feel more uncomfortable.

It's free !You might as well go.It's moderately interesting.The tour isn't exactly fascinating but they are nice and you get to see an old historic home.It's right near Temple Square and you don't necessarily have anything else that is all that pressing.

I had visited some years ago and had the most incredible tour of the amazing house. It told a story of the rich history of the Salt Lake Valley and the settlers. I was happy to return but so very sad to see that it has turned into nothing more that a vehicle for the missionaries who know so little about the rich heritage of the mormon pioneers let alone the real stories of the Beehive House as well as Brigham Young. This was a very dissapointing visit. I will not visit again.

I was walking around the city today and remembered reading about this house briefly online. I decided to stop in for a tour (it was free!) and so I walked in. I was greeted by two "sisters" who introduced themselves and where they were from. The tour began shortly after and two others also joined me. So, it seems they just go on tours as visitors stop in. They both led the tour and started with Brigham Young's story and then went on to talk about family life in the house. We just walked through the hallways and upstairs. We could also look into each room, but could not go inside. At the end of the tour they offered us each a card to write our name and phone # if we would like additional information. I declined. This was a sort of awkward part of the tour. Also throughout the tour they would occasionally ask some personal questions, which was also a little awkward. Overall, I was able to learn a lot about Brigham Young and came out much more informed about some history of the area.